Session Six:

16/10/12

So I’m back in New Zealand and have managed to catch up with Bec for another sign language session.  Due to the break, not having done as much over the holidays, I have forgotten quite a few signs.  In comparison, Bec seemed to remember quite a few signs.  I’m now thinking I may be showing my age, her young brain is obviously absorbing a lot more than what I can!  Or maybe my motivation levels have impacted on my ability to retain anything?  Either way, it was a great session, that was fun as always (plenty of laughs) and we managed to finish learning all of our signs today!  Below is a video to show where I am at:

Quick Note To Michelle

Well here are my reflections, I hope you enjoy the read!  Please excuse my lack of computer/blog abilities, as I have no idea how to put them in order.  But just as a quick note, the overview is my first post, followed by session one, and so on.

Session Three:

13/09/12

So far Bec and I have managed to learn two whole packages of about 25 signs per package off by heart.  I am quite impressed by our efforts, it has been tough at times to stay on focus with our learning as we tend to drift off and talk about random things.  Which gets me thinking, this occupation has really started to create a new relationship between Bec and I.  I knew Bec previously to engaging in the occupation, but only from our conversations in the classroom.  I now know a lot more about Bec, and find her real fun to hang out with, she’s a good laugh.  This has made me reflect on the other aspect of occupations, which is through them we start to build friendships, start to have some shared beliefs around our occupations and our engagement.  Even though I was motivated to learn sign language for work purposes, this was not enough motivation to make me continue in something that I was not getting an immediate reward from (I am not working with people who use sign language at the moment).  It is through the social aspect of this occupation that I have become more engaged and willing to participate.  Having someone to talk with has given the motivation needed to engage, and quite frankly, if Bec was not around, I don’t think I would have done is much as what I have.

Below is a link to a youtube clip showing one of the examples of the signs we were learning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96rJQNJ0sAU

Session Two:

04/09/12

So today was my first sign language session, and I now have Bec, who is also doing sign language as a buddy to learn with.  This has made the experience so much more enjoyable, I think the motivation factor has been sorted out just by having someone else around to learn with, laugh and through this I can have a sense of enjoyment and satisfaction.  We have mainly been learning by modelling, using the online videos as a guide for the signing.  Furthermore, using repetition, repeating the signs with and then without the visual cue reinforced our learning.  The video below is a recording from my first session:

Session One:

25/08/12

So today I have started to enquire about sign language classes in the Hamilton area to start my new occupational choice to be able to reflect at the end of the semester on my new learning and the experience that this occupation challenge will give me. So I have already met a challenge, in that there are not a lot of sign language courses in Hamilton! Furthermore, if there are, they are at least $120 for a ten-week course (money I don’t have at the moment).  I then looked in the library at the Wintec campus, and there was a huge book on sign language there to get me started.  It was very informative, but I figure it will be hard to learn sign language from a book.  I needed something more interactive.  So it was off on the good old internet (what would we do without it) to find something a little more kinaesthetic.  I came across a New Zealand website called Deaf New Zealand, that had online tutorials for my learning needs.  This included four packages with signs about work, play, home life and signs for health professionals.  Below is a link to the website where I found the learning packages:

http://www.deaf.co.nz/resources/merchandise-order-form/learn-at-series

  I figured this would be an good option for me.  It was at this point that I realised sign language was going to be a difficult occupation to engage in.  Firstly, as it is an occupation that is engaged in by a minority of people, it is hard to find communities and resources to link into.  Secondly, to communicate in a sense requires having someone else to communicate with.  I also think that my motivation to practice sign language solo will be fairly low so I have to come up with a plan or a way to get motivated.  Maybe I can ask the other girls doing sign language if they would like to join in?

An Overview

This blog page will display my occupational experience over the past semester in learning a new occupation.  The occupation I chose was New Zealand sign language, which I categorised as an occupation of self development and growth or exploring other cultures.  There are numerous ways to classify occupations, especially since each occupation can hold different meaning for different people, and even different meanings for the same person in different contexts.  For example, they can be classified according to purpose, outcome, or as “obligatory necessary or chosen” (Christiansen & Townsend, 2010).

Christiansen, C.H. & Townsend, E.A. (2010) An introduction to occupation. In C.H. Christiansen & E.A. Townsend (Eds) Introduction to occupation: The art and science of living. (2nd ed). (pp1-34) New Jersey: Pearson Education.